Summer Heat
by MiraClarinet
Summary: Emi is about to go into er junior year of high school when her mother tells her they will be moving. Now, Emi is forced to leave her band. Can she make new friends, or will she return to her past years as a social outcast?
1. New Kid in Town

_**I'm bored. No clue where this one is going to go. Might be a one-shot haha. Soaring Hills is based off of my school. **_

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><p><em>Crap. Why now? This better not be what I think it is. <em>

I couldn't stand listening to what my mother had to say, even though she had yet to start speaking. It was the last thing I wanted to hear, the last thing I needed this summer. I had worked so hard to get where I was in the rough hierarchy of high school. Eleven years. Eleven years to scale my way up from lowest, loneliest child to an occasionally socially awkward but confident teenager who actually belonged in a group of other similar goofballs.

Those were my friends. The goofballs who knew few jokes that could be deemed appropriate, the crazy 'beings' that could make anything perverted. The teenagers with the confidence of well-tuned adults. The teenagers who everyday defied the common stereotypes given to students our age, who acted with common sense and intelligence opposed to idiocy and violence.

The marching band at my school was never the top band in the state, but we weren't the worst, and we were a family. A wonderful, tight-knit family. I knew my bandmates better sometimes then my little middle school sister Elizabeth. Band was my home. Specifically, the Riverview High School band was my home.

Yet as I stood before my mother with Elli by my side, I could feel my ties slipping away. I longed to reach for them, reach for the strings still connecting me to my musical family.

I had seen this coming from the start. The moment we entered this house, I knew this was coming. It had happened before, although this house had lasted longer then all the others. In middle school alone, I had been transferred to four different schools. In elementary school, countless. My mother seemed to enjoy the life of a nomad, without realizing how hard it was on both Elli and I. This time, I knew it would be harder. I had become closer to the Riverview students then any other group before. We had been living here for a miraculous two years. A record for us.

"Where are we going this time?" Elli finally asked. Mother sighed.

"Tucson, Arizona. I found a job at an elementary school working with special needs kids." Mother replied. I tried to find this new town on my mental map of the United states. I knew Arizona well; my aunt lived there before joining us in New Jersey, and sometimes between moves Elli and I would spend weeks over there. It was hot and dry; a wasteland. Of course, I knew it wasn't all like that, for one of those trips to Phoenix we had taken a short mini-vacation to the Grand Canyon. However, Tucson didn't sound like one of those upper Arizona cities with decent weather and vegetation that didn't try to kill you, more like phoenix, where everything was deadly, even the flowers.

"That's too far., mom. It's my junior year. I don't want to switch schools."

"You won't be a junior until school starts. Its only June. You have plenty of time to make friends."

"I have friends here."

"Emalyn, don't argue. I can't find work here. Henderson will not be returning its program next year, so I have to find new work. Nobody else is hiring on the east coast."

"Will we be going to big schools?" Elli asked. She didn't meet my mother's eye. She felt the same way as I did about the whole thing.

"Yes. Berkin Middle School is one of the smaller middle schools in town. And Emi, you will be going to Soaring hills High School, also a smaller school."

Smaller school meant smaller band. Smaller band meant bad band. At least, that was the case around here. Bigger bands always scored higher. Riverview's 150 strong band always won awards at competition.

"Is their band competitive?" I asked.

"I don't know Emi. You know I'm not a band person."

'Not a band person' meaning she rarely showed up to my performances. Once, in middle school band, I was forgotten until nearly midnight after a band concert because she fell asleep at home. Whenever I got a solo, she would show up late or not at all, always missing it. I was a proud clarinet player. At first, it hurt, but I had gotten used to it. It had made me stronger in fact. I was a completely different person then I was in middle school, or even freshman year.

~1 Month later~

"Emi! Help me lift this please!" I heard Elli call from outside. Her voice echoed on the empty house. I gingerly set down the box I had just brought inside on another and made my way outside. Elli was struggling to lift a larger box. I moved to help her. Together, we managed to remove it from the pile.

That's when I saw him. He stood on the sidewalk, half hidden by a weird, flowery desert hedge. His eyes met mine, and I nearly dropped the box I and Elli were holding. She shot me an angry warning glare, but I barely noticed. He smiled at me, a sweet smile that sent shivers down my spine. I suddenly felt aware of my appearance; my mangled ponytail, my lazy outfit of shorts and a tank top, the sweat pouring from everywhere on my body.

I tore my eyes away long enough to help Elli inside and set the box down. Purposely, I headed back out to pretend to get another box. He was still there. He smiled as I returned to the empty moving truck. I looked around inside and closed the back. While I had my back turned, he had gotten closer to my perch. I slid to sit on the bumper of the truck. He grinned.

"You guys new in town, or to the neighborhood?" His voice was like chocolate; smooth and gentle. He had a weird accent, one I recognized from my visits to Phoenix. It was a western accent. A lot harder to recognize then the southern or eastern accents I was used to.

"State, actually. We've been in New Jersey for the past two years." I replied. "My hometown is actually in Michigan though."

"So you've moved a lot?"

"Yeah. It seems like mom has to find a different school to work at every year."

"Clarinet?" He asked after a moment. I blinked. How did he know I played? That's when I remembered my case sitting beside the front door. I had been about to bring it inside when I had to help Elli. I was surprised he recognized it so quickly. I had a light blue fabric case with blue butterflies on it; most people thought it was a large lunchbox.

"You play an instrument?"

"Tuba, actually. You do marching?"

"Of course. My band back in Jersey was pretty decent. We won quite a few awards."

"Really? We went to the first state champs last year. We got eighth out of ten, but hey, we made it there, and they only took top ten bands."

"That's pretty cool. You go to Soaring Hills right?"

"Yeah. You going there too?"

"Mom says it's a pretty small school."

"It is. Our band is medium sized. Usually between sixty and eighty strong."

"How many clarinets?"

"About eight or nine, depending. We've had as few as six since I got here. I'm going to be a junior, by the way."

"Me too. Maybe we will have some classes together." It was more of a question then a statement. I already liked this guy, and I didn't even know his name.

_Calm down Emi. You don't even know his name._

Your point? Cute guy is talking to me. First day here and I'm already making some kind of friend. You really want me to drop this chance?

_Just saying. We don't know anything about him. _

"I'm Skylar, by the way. Skylar Lundas." He smiled and outstretched a hand.

"Emalyn. Emalyn Sindel. I go by Emi though." I smiled back and returned the handshake. His grip was strong but warm. I never wanted to let go.

"Well, Emi, I will be seeing you at band camp, I expect. I'll send in the good word to our director, Mr. Taft, fro you. He will probably send you the information, but band camp starts in early august. See you around."

All too soon, Skylar was gone. I found myself leaning against the back of the moving truck.

_You barely know the guy. Don't get your hopes up._

It was never this easy in Jersey.

_Which means we should be extra careful. We don't need to add a broken heart to this cataclysm of junior year events. _


	2. Skylar's Posse

_**Alright, I've officially decided not to make this a one-shot. So enjoy chapter 2!**_

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><p>"Emi, wake up! Someone at the door for you!" Elli's small frame landed on my bed, causing me to roll into her. I groaned and pushed her off.<p>

"Its only 9 in the morning, Elli. Tell them to come back in daylight hours."

"But he's cute."

Then it hit me harder then the light in my room; this was Tucson. Who did I know in Tucson? I had only been here a month.

_Uh, earth to Emi. Skylar? Remember him?_

I jumped out of bed and threw on some decent looking clothes. Elli was already downstairs, making moony eyes at the first Arizona kid I had met. He smiled in relief when I took over. I smiled back, pushing the distraught Elli away.

"Hey, Skylar. Sorry about that. Late night last night."

"Its fine. I was actually wondering; would you like to hang out with me and a few other band kids? We were going to the park and I was wondering if you'd like to, you know, get to know some of them. Before band camp, and such."

For the first time, I noticed a group of teenagers behind him. They were laughing and talking normally, although a few stole glances toward me. From my position, I couldn't see any hostile nor any friendship in any of them, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to join them.

"Sure. It sounds like fun." I smiled, and Skylar sent a thumbs up to the group. I turned to glance into the living room. Elli was sitting in front of the television with a bowl of cereal. "Elli, when mom wakes up, tell her I went out." Elli gave a signal that meant affirmative, and I followed Skylar to the group.

They all seemed nice enough. Like me, they all wore various band shirts or tank tops. Except their band shirts all matched; Soaring Hills High School. Mine sported the Riverview band logo.

"Guys, this is Emi, a clarinet player. You remember me telling you about her. Her family just moved here from New Jersey." Skylar introduced. I smiled and waved. "Emi, this is Kayti, trumpet-" He pointed to a larger girl with very short dark brown hair. "-Wendell, tuba-" a red-head boy with glasses. "-Erin, bari sax-" a tall blond boy. "-Olivia, clarinet-" a hostile looking brunette girl. "- and Erika, clarinet." She also looked hostile, but not as much as Olivia. Erika was a short, petite girl with obviously dyed strawberry blonde hair. Their looks made me nervous. They weren't at all friendly, unlike the others.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go!" Erin whined, grabbing Skylar's arm and trying to drag him. I giggled. Already, they reminded me of the kids in my old band.

Erin let go of Skylar's arm and moved on to Wendell, successfully managing to start him walking. Kayti jogged to join them, and Erika and Olivia fell far behind, much out of earshot. I fell into step with Skylar.

"What do you think of them?" He asked sincerely.

"They seem pretty cool. In fact, they remind me a lot of my old friends back in Jersey. Erin especially. He acts like my good old friend Tom. Like, they could be twins seriously."

Both of us laughed. It felt good to laugh with someone again. I had been doing so much moping around, I had nearly forgotten what it felt like to giggle like a schoolgirl.

"What is your sister's name?"

"Elizabeth, but she hates her full name. A lot like me, actually. She usually goes by Elli." I replied. "Do you have any siblings?"

"An older brother and sister. They're twins. Both in college right now."

"Names?"

"Eleanor and Caleb. My sister goes by Ellen though."

"Do you get along?"

"On and off. I usually clicked more with Ellen. She was easier to be around, while Caleb would just find faults with everything I did. But still, we had our good times, and I had a good share of fights with Ellen as well."

"Yeah, about the same with Elli and I. We get along sometimes, but other times we want to throw the other out the window." I joked. Skylar laughed warmheartedly. For a moment, our eyes met. I felt myself floating in their deep emerald depths. For a moment, it felt as if sparks were flying between us. I had to pull away, feeling my emotions flow out of control. He did the same.

I tried to focus on the other kids. Kayti seemed very energetic. Her steps were light and bouncy, and I had yet to see her lose her smile. Wendell, on the other hand, seemed easily distracted and distant, as if he was having a bad day. He followed Kayti and Erin, but he barely joined in their conversation. Erin was just as enthusiastic as Kayti was, I noticed. It was slightly intimidating.

Meanwhile, Erika and Olivia remained far behind. I stole a quick glance at them. They stood close, talking quietly. The way their heads sat close together, I felt quite distant from them both. Obviously, what they were saying was a secret to everybody. I got the feeling I was involved. My thoughts were confirmed when they both shot pointed glances at me. As cowl crossed Olivia's face as she caught me watching them, and I snapped my head forward.

"I don't think they like me." I noted quietly to Skylar. He shrugged.

"Those two are pretty proud. Their noses are so high in the air at this point, that if they were to put them down, they might get a nosebleed." He joked. His words only made me feel a bit better. "They feel threatened by the presence of another clarinet player. Erika is the only other upperclassmen clarinet other then your section leader Breni. The rest are underclassmen, including Olivia. As another upperclassman, you're her main threat. She already knows she can't beat Breni. You're her challenge."

I didn't much like the idea of being somebody's challenge. Especially someone who didn't know me. How could I be a threat to a pair of girls who had never heard me play? For all they knew, I could be a horrible clarinetist. I hadn't told Skylar that I had been first in line for section leader at my old school. I hadn't told him I was fifth chair all state in Jersey. How could I be a threat to anyone?

"I'm not that good. I don't know why they are worried."

"Its like bringing a new pet into a household. The old pet feels threatened that the new one will get all the attention. Not always true, but it's pretty common."

_Smart and cute._

Down girl. I don't know if I like being called a new pet.

_Whatever. It was a figure of speech._

I don't want to get hurt.

_I'm being careful._

Are you?


	3. Band Camp Part I

_**Here's chapter 3! Band camp time. **_

_**And I was just rereading chapter 1, and when Elli asked if they would be going to big schools, I just realized their mom responded "Yes, you will both be going to smaller schools." That yes was supposed to be a no. It's a small mistake to have to go through all of the work of fixing it, so I won't.**_

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><p><em>Here we go. You can do it Emi. Show off that Jersey spirit!<em>

I sat on the floor of the band room, Skylar sitting nearby. He looked right at home on the rough, dirty carpet. I, on the other hand, felt sick to my stomach. I was glad to have him as my friend; we had spent most of the summer hanging out with Erin and Kayti, exploring the band hang-out spots and getting to know each other.

I caught sight of Erika and Olivia in separate crowds of people. It was the first time I had seen them since I had first met them.

"Emi, don't pay attention to them and you will be fine." Skylar locked his eyes on mine. He smiled his sweet smile, forcing me to smile back.

"I know. Are the other clarinets like them?" I asked, my case carefully stowed behind my back.

"Why don't you find out yourself?"

I watched, alarmed, as Skylar loudly called "Breni." I had never met my section leader, but had heard about her from Skylar many times. According to him, she was the only senior in the section, and Erika and I were the only juniors.

I saw a girl in a mass of younger kids pop up and turn around in a daze. She had some of the curliest brown hair I had ever seen. She had somehow managed to tame it into a ponytail, which ended up being more of a ball of fluff. When she turned to see Skylar waving, a smile crossed her freckled face. She trotted enthusiastically over.

"Sky, is this the new clarinet you were telling me about?" She asked, shaking my hand vigorously. Skylar nodded with a look on his face close to amusement. "Well nice to meet you. I'm Brenalyn, but you can all me Breni like everyone else. I'm clarinet section leader."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emi." I replied, smiling. She seemed much nicer then the other two.

"Emi was wondering about what the clarinets are like." Skylar pointed out. Breni's face mixed for a moment.

"Of course." She looked around. "Well, most of our section is sophomores. Those are Nick, Connor, Olivia, and Lucy. Our only freshman is Jordon. Then we have you and Erika as juniors, and I'm the only senior. Small section. I'll introduce you to them all during sectionals. Today is mostly a get to know everyone day anyway, and marching basics for freshman and newcomers." Breni began to speak so fast, I couldn't identify who she was pointing at or what she was saying. "Speaking of which, can you march?"

"Well, I was in marching ban at my old school in New Jersey."

"New Jersey? Those bands are epic! Then I believe we have nothing to worry about with you."

It was tempting to point out that being in a good band didn't make you good, but I was worried it would make her talk again. I already had a headache from deciphering her first ramble. I didn't feel like playing "word scramble" with her again.

As she walked away, I turned to Skylar, who was trying really hard not to laugh. I playfully bumped him.

"Is she always like that?"

"Only when she is nervous or excited. I think today is a mix of both. After all, its her first time as section leader and she has big shoes to fill."

At that moment, a young man walked to the front of the room. Two identical girls joined him, but stood just behind him. The girls looked high school age, but the man did not. I stared at the three for a moment trying to figure out who they were. Skylar followed my gaze.

"That's our director, Mr. Byron Taft. The two girls are our drum majors, Colli and Calli. Both juniors. Twins."

"Oh great. I'll never tell them apart." I groaned. Skylar chuckled.

"That's why they go by Colli and Calli. Colli's full name is Collette. Since her and her sister are so similar, she started going by Colli in elementary school. It stuck. Calli actually did guard freshman year, but she didn't like it and Colli taught her tenor sax. Now they are the sax twins, since Colli plays alto."

"Morning band!" Mr. Taft interrupted. He looked around with a cheery expression. "Is everyone ready for band camp?" The freshman cheered while the returners groaned. Skylar and I remained silent, light smiles across our lips. "Now, first order of business, I want to see all the faces of our newcomers. Since I don't know any of you, I have to call roll. If you are new to this school or this marching band, please stand. That includes sophomores, juniors or seniors who may have just moved here or have just now decided to join. When I call your name, raise your hand and sit down."

Surprisingly, a small amount of people, including me, stood up. I was used to an army of newcomers every year to add to our army of musicians. This new band had only a handful. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; less freshman meant more people who knew what they were doing. However, it also meant the band would not grow much, although I didn't now if it had grown or not.

"Elizabeth Clayton."

"Here." A small girl sat down.

"Barry Thomas." A tall boy sat down. "David Holiday." I waited patiently until he finished. Finally, he came to the "s" last names. "Emalyn Sindel." I raised my hand and sat down. "Jordon Walker." The clarinet freshman sat down, the last. Mr. Taft looked around and silenced the band. He looked fairly joyful and excited, despite the small amount of freshman.

_Maybe this is a lot for them. _

That's depressing..

_Not for them._

"Now, if I could have all the student staff come up here to introduce themselves."

Mr. Taft was soon surrounded by students, who lined up in a fairly uneven line. Again, it was a lot smaller. At Riverview, we had so many student staff, we had to introduce by section, not by them all at once. Mr. Taft started one end of the line.

"Reece, Tuba section leader, junior."

"They are called sousaphones Taft. I'm not tuba section leader until concert season." Reece snapped. Taft rolled his eyes and continued on.

"Arriana, flute section leader, senior."

"And piccolos! Don't forget the piccolos!" She squeaked.

"Right. Here are our drum majors, Collette, head, and Calli, assistant, both juniors."

"I'm Colli. She's Calli." One of them giggled.

"Sorry."

"Just kidding Taft. I really am Colli." The other laughed.

"Well, whoever is Colli is head, whoever is Calli is assistant."

"Then I'm Colli! I want to be head!" I guessed this was Calli.

"You have a big enough one already." Colli replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"So do you."

"You both have big heads. Moving on." Taft announced. The band laughed pretty hard. Both twins made putting faces and stuck their tongues out at him. "Brenalyn, clarinet section leader, senior." A few clarinets cheered for her, but I noticed Erika and Olivia just crossed their arms. "I forgot to mention that Calli doubles as Alto sax section leader." Taft noted, signaling back to the twins, who were still quietly discussing who had a bigger head. "Going on, we have the Josh duo. Josh is bari sax and tenor sax section leader, and other Josh is baritone and trombone section leader. Both juniors."

"I'm Josh 1."The larger, bearded Josh announced.

"I'm Josh 1!" The taller Josh argued.

"You are Josh B and Josh BS, how about that?" Mr. Taft asked.

"What?" Taller Josh asked.

"Josh Bari Sax and Josh Baritone."

"But I don't want to be Josh BS!" Taller Josh whined. "I know, I'll be JJ, like Daly calls me!"

"Good enough. Our horn section leader, Seamus, sophomore." He pointed to a shorter, plump boy. "Finally, we have our trumpet section leader, Justin, junior."

Already, I didn't like Justin. He seemed rude and egotistical; a typical trumpet player. He had a look on his face that told me 'I'm better then you.' I was never a big fan of big egos.

Mr. Taft dismissed us to sectionals, sending the clarinets to the girls dressing room. Not knowing where that was, I followed Breni and the rest of the clarinets I recognized. They were all really loud, and one of the boys, was continually tackling various members of the section. They all looked really close, like a family. I had been that way with my old section back in New Jersey.

"Good morning guys. Good summer?" Breni started up. The room got a bit quieter.

"Summer is summer." Olivia mumbled. She sat on a room length makeup table next to the other sophomore girl, who according to Breni was named Lucy.

"I hope you guys have been practicing. The music this year is slightly complicated."

"Not really." Once again, Olivia spoke under her breath. I already felt bad for Breni. It was obvious she heard Olivia's comments, and, like me, just wanted to get along with everybody. Yet Olivia was making that hard for her. At that moment, I vowed to show Breni the respect she deserved.

"Um, I don't have music." I pointed out, just as one of the twins walked in. She stopped in her tracks. Breni turned to look at her.

"Your that new girl from jersey, am I right?" Calli, or Colli, asked.

"Yeah. I guess the music was given out before I got here."

"Yeah. I'll get you some. What part do you want her on Breni?"

"Last." Olivia grumbled. Breni didn't hear her, but I did.

"You'll have to ask Taft. I'm not sure if he wants me to switch someone to first or something, or put her on first or whatever." Breni replied. "Thanks Colli."

"No problem. Be back in a minute."

"Alright. We have to warm up, so you'll probably get it before we are finished."


End file.
